Tiếng Việt · Proverb Candidate

Vuốt mặt còn nể mũi

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Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Meaning · English

Treat someone with respect while also being cautious of their power

Literally: Stroke the face but still respect the nose

Examples

Anh ta luôn vuốt mặt còn nể mũi khi nói chuyện với sếpHe always treats his boss with respect while being cautious of his power when talking to him

AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Headword listed in the vdict.com proverb dictionary index (discovery source; headword only — no source content copied). Entered as candidate 2026-08-05; definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-08-08; pending editor spot-check.

Common questions

What does “Vuốt mặt còn nể mũi” mean?

Treat someone with respect while also being cautious of their power Literally: Stroke the face but still respect the nose

Is “Vuốt mặt còn nể mũi” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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